Night of the Masquerade - 87th Night
by SakuraRavenShroud
Summary: This is the written adaptation of the famous Masquerade Ball the Yuuki and Zero attend together. I loved this part of the story so much that I just had to write it! Also, feel free to request other parts of the series/manga :) Edit: Proceeding chapters will be updated
1. 87th Night - Masquerade Ball

**Vampire Knight - Night of the Masquerade - 87****th**** Night**

Sidenote:

This is my first fan fiction, and I hope you all enjoy it! It tells of the events that took place before, and during the masquerade ball that Yuuki and Zero attend.

All dialogues, thoughts, and expressions are what I copied down from referring to the manga, so that means about 95% of this writing is actually what happened in the story, apart from additional details that I had to spend writing, so it would make sense. Enjoy

**Part 1:**

The air is thick with an early-morning mist, and it feels cool against my skin. The sky is still dark, but shreds of light lick at the horizon. Yesterday was one out of the many times I had left Cross Academy, planning not to come back for a while; but the difference with this time is that I left with Zero.

Little more has been heard other than the constant shuffling of our feet in the dirt, and our own breathing. We have passed the point of making petty small-talk. I sigh to myself and think of how it used to be, a little over a year ago. When we were simply Prefects of Cross Academy, we weren't necessarily the closest, but we weren't acting like strangers - not like we have been ever since I became a vampire.

I sigh again, seeing the thick fog my breath makes in the cool air. Zero's footsteps stop and I quickly realise the familiar surroundings. I look forward, but see nothing past the white mist. However, I can sense that we're here. I can _smell_ the familiar scent of this place that I remember from so long ago. The memory of this place that had been viciously ripped out of my memory and hidden behind a wall as opaque as this mist - the house I was born in. Only until I walk closer do I see the massive building.

We walk up to the grand entrance and slightly push the door open, which is unlocked. After taking a few weary steps into the house, a wave of nostalgia washes over me and I almost don't notice that Zero has stopped walking again. I turn back to face him and he's simply standing at the entrance, not moving any further.

"I'll wait here," he simply says. Looking down, he continues, "it's fine, take your time."

I know better than to say anything else. I'm not in a position to question anything he does anymore, so I turn back and walk further into the house. My house. I hover over to the staircase and walk up them, placing my hand on the railing.

"There's a thin layer of dust," I mutter to myself.

As soon as I say this I remember that Aidou-senpai's father had been the one managing this house. And now he's…. I hold my hand out in front of me, observing the dust particles, and clench it. I thought he was a really kind person. This won't do… there are no clues as to why his father had to meet his end like that… How could Kaname-sama have killed him?

**Part 2:**

"Zero," I say, walking down the stairs, "I'm done. Let's hurry and g-"

I stop myself when I spot Zero lying against the door, eyes closed. At first I think he's somehow hurt, but as I walk closer, I see the calmness of his face, the serenity of his expression. Zero's… sleeping? I reach my hand slowly over to him…

He groggily opens his eyes, and I instantly flinch back, laughing guiltily. He looks almost as if he's about to smile. Almost.

"You're done?" He asks.

"Yeah," I say, clenching my hands tightly behind my back, "let's go."

We progress outside and I walk ahead of him, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Wouldn't it have been better for you to have taken your time?" He asks.

"Yeah," I say, "next time, I guess. Anyway, this place doesn't bring back good memories. Putting that aside, it's not what you think, it's just that when I remembered the place we have to go to next, I thought we should hurry a little more."

I look back at him, and his head is down, in thought.

"Okay," he says simply.

Suddenly, he grabs me around my waist, flips me up onto his shoulder and starts running. What?

"Zero! Hey, Zero!" I shout.

"If we're going to hurry, then it'd be faster to go down the mountain directly, than to follow the path. Definitely."

"But-!"

"You, who can only walk sluggishly, should keep quiet. You don't even have enough blood to help those from the night class… and the other victims, you've been providing them with your blood, haven't you?"

I don't reply. He knows the answer to that already. He knows that I offered most of my blood to be distributed and used to heal everyone from the effects of the Dark Tablet; the tablet Sara-chan had created in an attempt to subdue everyone into doing as she willed.

He takes a final, large leap through a bush and we're suddenly on a footpath. He places me down gently. I ignore the stinging of the grazes that the bush left behind.

"So… where are we heading to?" He asks.

I point to the train station.

"It'll take us half a day using the high-speed rail of this town to get there," I say.

"Okay…"

We walk over to the station, and I try ignoring the temptation of feeding on the surrounding humans.

"Isaya-san… he was an old friend of my parents. I'm going to get help from him," I mutter.

"The oldest pureblood, Shoutou Isaya, huh?" Zero asks, with neither the sound of approval nor disapproval in his voice.

I don't answer - I'm too occupied with the sight of all these… tasty-looking people. I change the subject, thinking of his reaction when he first saw me eat the blood tablets. I don't want him to realise how unbearably thirsty I am.

"Um, thanks for being concerned about me before, but I'll eat these blood tablets anyway. I'm not thirsty right now, but I just want to make sure. Sorry for making you misunderstand, a vampire's nature can be pretty decent sometimes."

I don't want him to find out that I actually have insufficient blood right now. He looks back at me with no expression. He's so hard to read, he may or may not believe me, and even if what I just said meant nothing to him, I will not admit my weakness right now. I feel troubled that Zero's acting the same as before.

**Part 3:**

The lights of the tunnel outside the window blur past as we move at high speeds. The train is uncomfortable, but it will have to do. For now. In the past… how did I talk to Zero? I feel a pang of sorrow for having forgotten the small things that made me happy. We sit in silence as I bite on my blood tablets.

"Zero…" I ask.

His eyes are closed and his head is resting in his hand, leaning on the armrest.

"I see, that's right." I purposely say out loud. He's not tired because he's sleepy. He's tired because he hasn't had enough blood for a while. I don't even know how long, but the look on his face is only so familiar to me. I reach over to abrubtly close the blind allowing people to look into our carriage.

I lean over him and grab his jaw into my hand, tightly. His eyes fly open and I can tell he's deciding whether or not to fight back.

"How long," I ponder, "have you been unsatisfied? I know about it, even though you try to hide it. I'll give you my blood, because your wound is healing too slowly…"

My eyes flick over to the wound Kaito-san left on his hand. Kaito-san had used the Chairman's anti-vampire sword to attack Zero, and his only reaction was to catch the razor-edged blade in his hand.

"STOP IT!" Zero flings his other hand forward, the impact pushing me to the wall on the other end of the carriage. I brush myself off and stand back up to ask him a question.

"How exactly did you endure your hunger for a whole year? I heard that you can now eat blood tablets, but… when I recall the satisfaction from drinking blood, I already understand that it's really painful to abstain from it."

He stays silent for about a minute, just remaining still, looking at me with pain in his eyes. He then looks down and answers back, so quietly that I barely hear.

"When night falls," he says, "and I head out to hunt vampires, I occasionally drink their blood… until Kaito returns from the look-out. I drink their unpleasant blood. Their dirty blood filled with insanity."

"So," I breathe, "if that's the case…"

I don't know what else to say. All I can do is stare at Zero, who - for the first time since I became a vampire - is showing an emotion other than hatred and disinterest to me. If there were a name for a face that displays sorrow, guilt, hatred, and worry all together, it would be used to describe what his face is showing right now. I stand there, lamely, not knowing what to do. It's so rare for him to even open up to me, I've forgotten how to react.

"No," he says, more to himself, "it's got nothing to do with you."

"Sorry, looks like I was misunderstood as well," I say, laughing off the silence like an idiot.

There should have been more words after that. It's as though we've put a mask on our hearts. The both of us acted as though nothing had happened. I slide back onto the seat and lie on my side, the old leather emitting an unpleasant smell and making an uncomfortable bed.

"Wake me up, all right?" I say, my voice groggy with fatigue.

"That's if I don't oversleep." Zero sighs, also sounding tired.

**Part 4:**

We finally got off the train. It's late in the afternoon, and the sky is beginning to become more yellow in colour, though the sun is still strong. With my umbrella tightly in my grip, I am walking down the street with Zero, who's following silently. Asking him if he wanted to share the umbrella was out of the question.

On the seemingly empty street, a single hooded figure approaches us, and we both simultaneously stop. Under the hood, I can see it's a light-haired vampiress.

"As a messenger of my master, Isaya-sama," she says, formally, "I have brought a written invitation for you. This evening, we have invited you, a pureblood, and other nobles to a masquerade ball."

The holds both of her hands out, which contain a rolled-up parchment, with a ribbon wrapped tightly around it, and a large, round stamp sealing it.

**Part 5:**

Night has struck and it is the time of vampires. I arrive to an ancient-looking mansion, noticing the vines crawling up the brick walls. The windows have been conveniently tinted black, so as to prevent sun from coming in - or humans from seeing what goes on inside. I wrap my cloak tighter around my neck, shivering, even though I don't feel cold. I walk up to the door, which, just as I touch the knob, opens slowly.

"Milady," says a voice, "is the dress alright for you?"

Isaya-san steps in my view from behind the door, dressed in a classic-looking suit. It must literally be hundreds of years old.

"Yes, I've managed to fit in it somehow!" I say, smiling, "Thank you very much for preparing his suit too."

Zero had been reluctant to wear the suit he was sent, but he agreed it would be better for our mission if we both blended in.

"You are welcome. Where is he?"

"Um, he's faithfully doing his work as we have agreed."

"'Inspecting the evening party'. But that's only until 'that person' appears. This is still a ball, after all. Aren't you going to dance with him?"

'That person', Isaya must have meant Kaname… why did I have to be pushed to such lengths to bring my own blood to justice?

"He refused to dance in the past. And… it's fine. Zero is a hunter. And I'm a pureblood."

"I find it odd that you asked me to lay such a dangerous trap. My friends' children have become the focus of the problem, but I can't help but remain a spectator. May I have this dance, precious daughter of my old friends?" Isaya-san says, holding out his hand.

And so we dance, along with everyone else at the party. He's leading me, of course, because I have no clue what I'm doing.

"Is this your first time at a masquerade?" He asks, wearing his white, intricate mask.

"Yes, it's an odd feeling," I reply, wearing mine, which is similar in appearance, "because I'm hiding my identity. No one has come to give their greetings, so I feel more at ease. But, everyone's really nervous. They are standing ready and waiting for 'that person' to appear."

**Part 5:**

The view of the garden from the balcony is breath-taking. The moonlight illuminates the pond beneath me, and I watch as leaves gingerly settle on the surface, creating an array of rings that disturb the perfect stillness. Streaks of moonlight get caught in the dewdrops of every plant, making it look as if they are sparkling. I prefer the atmosphere of this serene, black and white dream to the comparatively loud, chaotic reality that is inside. It's nothing more than a temporary escape from my life, a short break.

I sigh quietly. Just as I wonder whether Kaname will come, I hear a footstep from behind me and turn, dreading that it is him. Instead, it's Zero, wearing his mask. I smile in relief, and he strolls over to me.

"What is it, Ze-" I stop as he gently cups my face in his hand. We stand in silence for a moment.

"Isn't it the etiquette to hide one's name when the mask is worn?" He asks as if talking to a stranger.

I hold my hand up, containing my mask, and place it over my face, tying the ribbon tightly around my head. I receive a sense of relief, as if my worries are being hidden, just as my identity is by this mask.

"Good evening," I say, playing along with the game, "it's our first time meeting, isn't it? Who might you be?"

By his lack of reaction, I assume he isn't in the mood for this.

"Just kidding," I say, dumbly.

I look down and to my astonishment, he's holding out his hand. Without hesitating, I place mine in his, feeling the warmth. The feeling of his skin on mine brings a happiness to me, which only makes another hidden part of me feel guilty. But for the moment, I enjoy his presence, and allow this moment to compensate for the distance that's been between us for the past year.

We begin to dance, and memories of our friendship from before flood back in. I miss him, much more than I should admit. I want to be near him, to hug him, and to be close, once again. But we continue dancing, and I follow his lead.

"So you can dance after all…" I say.

We stay like this for a few minutes, and I block out the outside world, the one full of worry, fears, and guilt.

"You're very similar," he says, in his own thoughts, "to a girl who was precious to me, who died a year ago."

"You too," I say, quietly, "you're similar to a guy whom I worried about and wanted to protect, but… hurt instead. But you're a different person, right? He isn't someone who would dance with vampires, after all."

He holds my hand tightly, and I hold back. I dig deep through my memories, recalling all of our precious moments.

_The night when I first met him._

_The night I hugged and comforted him by the fireplace, telling him it's OK._

_The night he held my hand and led me away from the Moon Dormitory after I saw Kaname-sama bite Ruka-chan._

_All those days we playfully made fun of each other, which I know he misses equally as much as I do._

Why did it turn out like this?

Zero places his hand on the back on my head, and I grip his shoulders tightly. He leans in slowly and places his lips on mine. The feeling of being close to him -which I've mistakenly hidden away - comes back to me and I embrace his kiss, holding him tighter to me, hoping never to be separated from him. This one moment that I can cherish for a little longer. I close my eyes and we stay like that… Zero… why did I ever have to hurt you?

He pulls away slowly, and I look into his deep, lavender eyes, my hand in his silver-coloured hair. Fondness. This feeling is real too. It's hidden in me; the other half of my heart that belongs to Zero. A dark figure looms at the entry to the ball room, and I spot him whilst still embracing Zero.

Kaname. He saw everything.


	2. 88th Night - Determination at Age 17

**Part 1:**

A dark figure dressed in a long, black cloak, and wearing his mask, loams at the entry to the ballroom. I slowly pull my mask off in disbelief and stare, afraid to move in case he disappears. I look at him with sadness in my eyes, hoping to be able to show him how his actions have affected us more than he may have thought.

"Kaname…" I choke.

Kaname's eyes pin point me under his mask, and I feel like a pair of daggers have been pointed in my direction instead. He gracefully turns around and walks slowly into the ballroom. I begin to run after him, not wanting him to get away again. Zero follows closely behind me, silently.

"Wai-" I shout as I run inside, but stop as I realise he's no longer there. The room looks completely undisturbed, and vampires are still dancing as if nothing happened. Maybe they didn't see him.

He disappeared…

A feeling of dread strikes me as I remember that Kaname is still after all of the purebloods.

"Isaya-san's place!" I shout, as I begin running. Zero instantly realises what I suspect and starts running with me. We run together and I hear the sound of clattering as masquerade masks fall to the marble ground.

I try to let what happened moments ago sink in, as I run. The kiss Zero and I shared, it was perfect. But it had to end as quickly as it started. I almost feel a stab of aggravation that Kaname had to show up and break the moment, but I decide that's an extremely childish thought and brush it away. Capturing a murderer - whether or not he's my own brother - has more things at stake than one kiss… Part of me also thinks that's a silly thought; that that kiss was special. I can't think straight, I'm too full of adrenaline from running through the dark, empty halls of the mansion.

**Part 2:**

I lower myself to sit on the stool located next to my bedroom window. I sigh slightly, sensing that 'that person' must be here now. Will my 2000 years of life eventually meet its end, in a matter of a few moments?

"Isaya-sama…" Kaname says to me, revealing himself form the shadows, almost as if appearing out of nowhere. As usual, he makes a dramatic entrance.

"I thought I could not continue to stay a spectator, if I were to end up as a target anyway," I say, "I hoped to have a chance to talk with you alone, so I organised this ball. Welcome Kaname-kun. I'm glad to be able to meet you like this. Did you come to take my life, or did you come to request my assistance? Or, don't tell me, you came to confirm that girl's safety for the sake of the being who inherited your blood most strongly?"

I rest my elbows on my knees, and close my eyes, placing my head into my hands. Kaname remains silent, as he has always done so. The only remaining ancestor… The only one of the first vampires to ever come into existence, who is not only still alive, but standing before me, right now. I speak again:

"The majority of weapons that are able to slay purebloods have disappeared. For you to destroy purebloods alone, I believe the remaining number is beyond your capacity. In this situation, you know full well that coming to this place was a trap."

"I had thought to, one day, use this life of mine to make Yuuki human," Kaname says, quietly, "however, that is no longer accomplishable, for I will become the new 'parent'."

I quickly look up at him in shock. Is he intending on doing what I think he is? Is he intending on sacrificing himself to create new anti-vampire weapons?

**Part 3:**

I hear Zero's heavy breathing as we eventually reach Isaya-san's room. His fatigue due to lack of blood must be getting worse. We shuffle slowly to a stop as we reach the end of the hall. I gasp as realise there are two cloaked figures guarding the entryway to his room. Kaname must be here.

The guards pull their hoods back from over their faces and to my surprise, I spot Rima-chan and Shiki-san.

"Excuse me a little, eh…" Rima begins, with an awkward-looking expression.

"They're in the middle of doing business, so we are unable to let you pass." Shiki finishes; a firm tone in his voice.

Zero and I make brief eye-contact, and we simultaneously ram into the two, the force of our raging impact pushing them into the door, which flies open. It feels as if time goes in slow-motion, and as I fall with Rima underneath me, I glance up to see Kaname looking at me, with Isaya-san sitting behind him, looking surprised. Kaname's face is expressionless.

"We're done. Come, Shiki, Rima," Kaname breathes.

Then suddenly, they all whip around, and shoot out of the window into the black night. I try to run after them, but as I reach the balcony and look in all directions for any sign of the three, I know they're gone.

Zero, for the first time since we realised Kaname was here, walks next to me, knowing that we can't do anything more. He looks like he's in thought, though he's slightly scowling.

"It would be near impossible to stop him, when he's so focused on escaping." He mumbles, more to himself than to me.

"Yes, it really is exactly as you say…" I say, also more to myself.

**Part 4:**

I knock on the large, wooden door and urge Zero to come out.

"Are you done preparing?" I ask, still knocking.

"Just a while more… you're fast." Zero replies from behind the door.

"It's a relief that nothing happened to Isaya-san and the other guests."

"Aren't you curious to find out what Shoutou Isaya said to Kuran Kaname?"

"Recalling what happened tonight, I am. I learnt many things, like the fact that you could dance…"

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, that's right. It was a fantasy. The Zero I know is not supposed to know how to dance. I recall that time when we had the Dance Festival at the Academy. During the decoration of the venue, Zero, you arrived late, blood-stained all over. Girls who wanted to dance with you invited you to do so, but you rejected them easily… Hey, since the masquerade ball, it has been on my mind.

If you were never a hunter, nor I a vampire… if we had met as totally normal human beings, how would we have turned out to be, you know? Would I have thought, 'Hey, Zero's cool'? Things like that? You wouldn't have had to stay back a year, so I suppose you'd be a year ahead. But you'd definitely not get along well with Kaname Onii-sama. On the day before the festival, I would coincidentally find 'Zero-senpai' who had gotten himself all bloody because of a fight, and I bet, I would have passed you a band-aid and said 'it's no good to fight', and become angry.

While mad at you, I would take care of your wounds. 'Zero-senpai' would get taken care of, and then I wonder what would happen after that… or perhaps nothing would come out of it. The human 17-year-old Yuuki, what would she have done?"

Not noticing I started leaning on the door, it suddenly flings open and I crumble to the ground, realising that I had rambled my thoughts out loud again. Still behind the door, Zero speaks quietly.

"You're really an idiot."

I look up, and he steps out from behind the door and looks down at me, a distant, sad expression on his face.

"If we were both humans to begin with," he says, "we would not have met. Stop indulging in delusions that will never happen in reality. Let's go now."

I put my head down and look at the ground, thinking. I spread my hands out on the floor, and clench them again. Zero starts walking out, but I whip my hand up and drag him into the wall, hard. I need to do something. Something that will stop all of this. While still recovering from what just happened, I grab Zero's other wrist in my free hand and pin him against the wall.

"Zero… I say, wanting to cry. I won't forgive myself after this. He looks down at me with a bewildered expression, which makes me want to cry even more. Before he can fight back, I stand on my tip-toes, and reach my mouth to his neck.

"Zero," I say again.

"Yu-" he chokes, before I plunge my fangs into his neck, and begin drinking his blood. I dig deep into his mind and locate every memory he has of Cross Yuuki, Kuran Yuuki. I dig into the deepest part of his head, avoiding any other memories. The memories of me; they will vanish. They will disappear. I will rip every single memory he has of me out of his head. It's better this way.

Zero begins to struggle, and he puts his hand on my face and pushes me away.

"What… are you doing?" He strains.

I grip his hand and take it off my face, holding it so he can't move it. I hear the jingle on my bracelet on my left wrist, remembering the time the Chairman gave it to me. It's the bracelet that he gave me to protect myself and others against Zero, the one that immobilises him when it comes into contact with the hunter tattoo on his neck. I reach it up, and Zero sees it, struggling more. I hold him back, hard.

Electric sparks fly everywhere as I push the pendant against his neck. His grip on me loosens, and he falls down to the ground, immobilised.

"Yuuki," he says, looking worried.

"If I just erase my existence from your memories, it will be easier on you." I say, trying to keep my voice sturdy. I lower my mouth to his neck again, and now he can't fight back. I hate myself for doing this to him. I hate myself for putting him in this position, abusing the bracelet and using it for something like this, and everything else I have done to hurt him. But after this, he won't be in pain anymore.

"…Erase?" Zero whispers.

I feel him tense as he tries to fight against the immobilising effects. His head shakes from side to side, which makes drinking more difficult. I place my hand on top of his head and hold it there.

"Stop it…" he says, with sadness and a little bit of anger in his voice, "I won't forgive you! Stop it Yuuki!"

His voice is now riddled with hopelessness and despair, and I lift my head to face him, blood dripping down my chin.

"I'm sorry, but if I don't do this, I won't be able to go," I sob, "I won't be able to stop Kaname. I wouldn't forgive myself for leaving you again, so it's better if you don't remember me when I… when I end my life to make Kaname human."


End file.
